Book of Common Prayer

⁹ I did not mean the people of the world [people who are not Christians] - some of them use sex the wrong way; or always want more things; or steal; or worship idols. To keep away from them altogether would mean you would have to go out of the world.

¹⁰ But I wrote to you not to be friends with anyone who says he is a Christian and uses wrong sex, or always wants more, or has idols, or curses, or drinks too much strong drink, or steals. I told you not even to sit down to eat with such a person.

¹¹ Why should I judge the people who are outside the church? You are to judge the church people.

¹² God judges those who are outside. The holy writings say, `Send the bad person away from among you.'

6 When one of you has some complaint against a Christian brother, why does he take him to be judged by those who are not Christians? Why does he not take him to God's people?

² Do you not know that some day God's people will judge the world? If you are going to judge the world, can you not judge small things now?

³ Do you not know that we shall judge angels? Then we should surely be able to judge things in this life!

⁴ So if you have complaints about things in this life, why do you take them to those who are not church people?

⁵ Shame on you! Are none of you wise enough to judge between two Christian brothers?

⁶ But now one Christian brother takes another Christian brother to be judged by people who are not Christians.

⁷ It is wrong for you to take each other to court at all. You should be willing to take wrong. It would be better to lose.

⁸ Instead, you are doing wrong to your own Christian brothers.

4 Jesus began to teach people by the sea again. Many people came to him. So he got in a boat on the sea and sat down. The people were by the sea on the land.

² He told the people stories and taught them many things.

³ He said, `Listen. A man went out to sow some seed.

⁴ As he sowed it, some of the seed fell on the road. Birds came and ate the seed.

⁵ Some seed fell on the stony ground. Not much ground covered the stones. The seed started to grow right away because it was not deep in the ground.

⁶ When the sun began to shine, it was too hot for the new plants. They died because they had no roots.

⁷ Some seed fell among the weeds. The weeds grew up and made the new plants die. So no seeds grew on them.

⁸ But some seed fell on good ground. That seed grew and the plants gave more seed. Some plants gave thirty seeds. Some gave sixty. And some gave a hundred.'

⁹ Jesus said to them, `Everyone who has ears to hear, listen!'

¹⁰ Later, Jesus was alone. Then the twelve disciples and the other people who were there asked him about the stories.

¹¹ He said to them, `You can learn the secret things about the kingdom of God. But we must use stories to tell the other people.

¹² `They may look and look, but they will not see. They may listen and listen, but they will not understand. If they did understand, they would turn back to God and he would forgive them for the wrong things they have done.'

¹³ Jesus said also, `Do you not understand this story? How then are you going to understand all the stories?

¹⁴ The man who sows the seed tells God's message.

¹⁵ Those beside the road are like people who hear the message. But as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes it out of their hearts

¹⁶ The seed that fell on the stony ground is the same. It is like people who hear the message and as soon as they hear it they are very glad.

¹⁷ They believe it for a short time. When trouble or a hard time comes because of the message, they stop believing.

¹⁸ The seed that fell among the weeds is like people who hear the message.

¹⁹ But they think about the things of this world. They want to get money and other things to be happy. These things push the message out of their hearts. No good comes from it.

²⁰ But some seed fell on good ground. That is like people who hear the message and understand it. Much good comes from it. Some people are like the seed that made thirty seeds. Some people are like the seed that gave sixty. Some people are like the seed that gave a hundred.'